North Korea's overseas IT workers are back in the spotlight, and this time the Treasury Department is swinging a fairly big stick. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that North Korean operatives are targeting American businesses through fraudulent IT schemes, as the Donald Trump administration sanctioned 10 individuals and one entity.

Bessent Warns of North Korean IT Fraud Targeting US Businesses

Bessent took to X to make the case, saying North Korea continues to target American companies through overseas IT workers who allegedly misuse sensitive information and demand substantial payments from businesses.

"Under President Trump's leadership, Treasury will continue to use all available tools to protect U.S. businesses from these malicious activities and hold those responsible accountable," Bessent wrote.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, sanctioned eight North Korean nationals and two Russian nationals. The department accused them of supporting a government-backed IT operation designed to generate revenue for North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

The agency also designated the Russia-based First Financial and Technical Development Center, which the Treasury Department said the North Korean government controls.

North Korean Operatives Allegedly Used AI to Generate $750,000

According to the Treasury Department, six North Korean IT workers affiliated with the center used AI tools and sophisticated money-laundering techniques to generate more than $750,000. That is not exactly pocket change, and it helps explain why the sanctions are meant to disrupt the alleged network's financial operations and restrict the designated individuals' and entities' access to assets and transactions under U.S. jurisdiction.

This is not an isolated enforcement push. Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced separate enforcement actions targeting North Korea's alleged remote IT worker operations, which reportedly affected more than 70 U.S. companies. Authorities arrested two Americans, charged 10 individuals based in China and two other defendants, and seized nearly 190 computers.

Treasury Proposes Restrictions on Sensitive Technology Investments

The latest sanctions follow the Treasury Department's proposal to restrict certain U.S. investments in sensitive technologies in countries considered adversaries, including China, Russia and North Korea. The proposed restrictions cover investments exceeding $50,000 in specified areas, including AI, high-performance computing, quantum information technologies and hypersonic systems.

Meanwhile, President Trump said earlier this month he was unsure whether he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again, despite describing their relationship as "very good." The two leaders met twice during Trump's first term.